How has COVID-19 affected my plans of being a doctor?

I’m writing this right now from my room on a Thursday afternoon, wearing pajamas, with random binders scattered around my floor in preparation for online class. Things are weird nowadays. There’s a virus in the U.S., with new theories and solutions coming every day. There are people who say it’s cured by ginger ale and bed rest, and those that say it’s the end of the world. It can be a challenging and stressful time to live in; food still needs to be on the table, work and school still needs to be done, but there’s a present dread to everything. Will going outside put my family at risk? If I do go out, should I be wearing a mask? Is it safe to go to the store and stock up? Or should I stay home where I know it’s safe? These are many questions that we didn’t have to ask ourselves before, but need to now.

If it’s scary just living your life at home, can you imagine what it is like to work in a hospital right now? This is the worst-case scenario for doctors right now: long hours, on the frontlines of a pandemic, and facing incredible risk.. They are tending to complete strangers despite the fact that they’re endangering themselves. I’ve wanted to be a doctor for a while now, and this is a good opportunity to show how stressful and dangerous it can be. These kinds of events are rare, but their damage will be felt for years. Do I want to be right in the middle of things when it happens?

Yes, I do. My reason for wanting to become a doctor in the first place was to help people, and if every few decades there’s a greater risk to my person it’ll have been worth it. I’ve always admired doctors’ ability to help others, sometimes even putting themselves at risk. If I ever manage to get my M.D. I would be proud to be among such selfless people.

Our blog posts are written by the peer leaders and staff at the Center for Young Women's Health. The Center for Young Women’s Health (CYWH) is a collaboration between the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine and the Division of Gynecology at Boston Children’s Hospital.